Some users claim to have had great success with playing 16-track 2-inch tapes on 24-track heads. While it will work, it is interesting to note the relative misalignment of the two sets of tracks as the following drawing I made shows. Click [or save target as] for larger view. 4-track 1/2-inch tape and 8-track 1-inch tape use the same 0.070″ track width as 16-track 2-inch tape. The center-to-center spacing 0.130″ as opposed to 0.127″ for 16 track.